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(Nomodw BIUYGLE SUPPORT.

No. 574,292.,v Patented Dec. 29, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DE VITT O. VALLACE, OF PADUOAH, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF -TOJOSEPH J. BORNSOHEIN, OF SAME PLACE.

BICYCLE-SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 574,292, dated December29, 1896. Application tiled May 13, 1896.. Serial No. 591,350. (Nomodel.)

.To all whom zit may concern,.- is adjustably secured to the frame ofthe bi- Beit known that I, DE WITT OVALLACE, cycle and has alongitudinal slot A for the residing at Paducah, in the county of Mc'-greater portion of its length.

Cracken and State of- Kentucky, have in- In order to adjustably fastenthe tube to the 5 5 5 vented a new and Improved Bicycle-Support, frameof the bicycle, I employ the upper and of which the following is aspecification. lower clips B and B', each clip being com- This inventionrelates generally to bicycles, pound in construction, comprising asleeve l), and particularly to an improved bicycle-supadapted to berigidly fastened around the tube port for maintaining the bicycle in anupright of the bicycle-frame,and the sleeve b', adapted 6o 1o positionwithout leaning the same against a to be secured around the verticaltube A of curb, tree-box, or other iixed object. the support, saidsleeves l) and b being pivotrIhe object of the invention is to provide aally connected by means of a rivet b2, and it portable bicycle supportwhich can be atwill be observed that these sleeves are hinged tached toany of the bicycles now in use with- `at b3 and are connected by thebolt or nut b4, 65 15 out disguring the frame in any manner, and so thatthe said clips can be quickly and easanother object is to provide aportable supily att-ached to the frame and tube and can port which canbe quickly and easily thrown also be quickly and easily detachedtherefrom into or out of operation. without injuring the frame in theleast. Another object is to provide a bicycle-sup- Sliding within thetube A is a plunger C, 7.o 2o port having rollers upon thesupporting-legs, which is slid up and down by means of an opl so thatthe bicycle can be rolled along a short erating-rod D, attached to thesaid plunger distance without interfering with or straining at its lowerend, and at its upper end is formed any of the parts of the support.with a right-angle handle portion D, which Another object is to providean automatic projects through the slot `A in the vertical 75 2 5 catchfor holding the support in an elevated tube. The plunger is recessed atO' at diaor inoperative position, and a still further obmetricallyoutward points, and within said ject is to provide an improved means forrecesses are pivoted the upper ends of supspreading the supporting-legsas they are proporting-legs E by means of the pivot pins or jecteddownward to the ground. bolts E, the lower ends of said supporting- 8o3o Another object is to construct and assemble legs carrying the rollersor casters F.

all of the parts in the cheapest and simplest The rollers or casters Fare mounted in manner possible. brackets F', which have tubular socketsF2 With these various objects in View my inextending upward therefrom,in which the vention consists in the peculiar construction lower ends ofthe supporting-legs are fixed, 85 35 of the various parts and in theirnovel com. said legs resting upon the springs F3, held bination orarrangement, all of which will be within the socket, the purpose of saidsprings fully described hereinafter, and pointed out in being tocompensate for any unevenness or irthe claims. regularity of the ground.

In the drawings forming apart of this speci- A bell-shaped ferrule Gr isattached to the 9o 4o ication, Figure lis a perspective showing thelower end of the vertical tube A by means of invention in use. Fig. 2 isa longitudinal seca transverse pin or bolt I-I, and the lower end tionshowing the support down. Fig. 3 is a of this ferrule is made iiat oroval, in contrast similar section showing the support up. Fig. with theupper end, which is essentially cir- 4c shows the details of all parts.Fig. 5 is'a cular or of the same shape as the vertical 95 45 detail viewof the upper end of tube, clipped tube A.

for securing the same. Fig. 6 is a horizontal The ends of the`tube Awithin the fel-rule section taken .on the line G 6 of Fig. 5. Fig. G areslotted, as shown at I, so that when the 7is a detail view of the endot' supporting-legs. plunger is forced down and the supporting-vIncarrying outmyinventionIemployathin legs spread out the said legs willenter the roo 5o metallic tube A, which may be round or slots and thusbe permitted to spread to the square in cross-section, as desired, whichtube full extent of the ferrule, and it will be observed that thelongitudinal diameter of the ferrule is arranged transverse to thelength of the bicycle, and thereby provide a broad base for the bicycleto rest upon.

In order to spread the supporting-legs as the plunger is forced down, Iemploy a spreadingspring K, which is coiled intermediate its ends aboutthe connecting-bolt H, and at the lower ends the members of said springare formed with loops or eyes K', through which the supporting-legspass,so that as the plunger is forced down, the legs working in theloops or eyes, which are normally spread, the supporting-legs will ofcourse be spread to the full limit of the bell-shaped ferrule.

The tube A is adjustable in the clips B, the tube being slid down whenthe support is put into use and slid up when not in use, the distance ofmovement being about two inches, the advantage of such idea being that ashorter tube and shorter legs can be employed. The upper clip also has adog B'I for locking the tube in either a raised or lowered position.

It will be noted here that the pin that serves to connect'thebell-shaped ferrule to the end of the vertical tube also serves as thepost upon which the spreading-sprin g is fixed, and said pin also actsas a stop to limit the downward movement of the plunger earryin thesupporting-legs.

In order to lock the support in its elevated or inoperative position, Iemploy a springeatch L, which is pivoted to the tube and has a beveleddog L', which the handle of the operating-rod throws to one side as itis moved up, and as soon as said handle passes the said beveled head thespring of the latch or catch will immediately throw said head intoengagement with the handle of the rod and hold same from downwardmovement.

lVhenever it is desired to throw the support into an operative position,the tube is lowered the locking-catch is turned to one side, and theplunger forced downward by means of the handle and operatingrod, and asthe plunger is forced down the supporting-legs will be spread throughthe medium of the spreading-sprin g having eyes at the ends, and owingto the elongation of the bell-shaped ferrule and the slots in the endsof the vertical tube the said supporting-legs will be spread aconsiderable distance before they reach the ground, thereby providing anample support for the bicycle, and inasmuch as the supporting-legs havespring rollers or casters at their lower ends the bicycle can be movedalong a short distance without interfering with any of the supportingparts. lVhen the supporting-legsare drawn up into the tube, they aredrawn entirely out of sight, inasmuch as the caster-rollers restentirely within the bell-shaped ferrule.

It will of course be understood that the tube can be circular or squarein cross-section and can be made of any suitable material, and it willalso be understood that I do not wish to confine myself to the exactconstruction of the plunger herein shown and described, as all of theseparts can be somewhat modified Without departing from the broad spiritof my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Iatent, is-

l. In a bicycle-support, the combination with the slotted tube having abell-shaped ferrule, the operating-rod and plunger, the supportinglegsattached to said plunger the spreading-Sprit: g arranged in thebell-shaped ferrule, and having eyes or loops at each end through whichthe supporting-legs pass, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination with the tube, slotted as described, having abell-shaped ferrule, of the plunger and operating-rod, thesupporting-legs attached to the plunger, the connecting-pin connectingthe tube, the bell-shaped ferrule, the spreading-spring arranged uponsaid pin, and having eyes or loops at its lower end, the ends of themain tubebeing slotted within the bell-shaped ferrule, the compoundclips for attaching the tube to the machine, and the spring-lockingcatch carried by the upper clip, and adapted to engage t-he handle ofthe operating-rod, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I hereby aiiix my hand in the presence of twowitnesses.

DE WITT C. VALLACE. bfitnesses:

C. E. JENNiNcs, W. H. PATTERSON.

